When was the last time you attended a Malay kenduri kahwin (wedding) in the rural area of a Kampung
? During Gawai day holiday I was in Pekan Lingga to attend a wedding and today I would like to share with my blog viewer/readers what goes on in a typical kampung wedding.
Pekan Lingga is located at the outskirts of Batang Lupar, and is famous for its Longtail shad or locally known as Terubuk, the talk of most outsiders. Here, the fish is sold between RM30 to RM 40 a kilogramme.
The journey to pekan Lingga over two hours from Bandar Sri Aman by land. Throughout the journey, travellers would experience bumpy ride due to poor road condition.
In Pekan Lingga the majority are the Ibans, and the Malays comprise of 30% of the population, Chinese comprises of 7% of the population while other races makes up the remaining 3%.(Throughout the journey, travellers would be able to take in the breathtaking view of modern Iban long house).
Majority of the people living in this small district of Lingga make farming as part of their living. It is their main source of income. 53% of the people here are involved in paddy plantation while 37 % plant chillies. Another 10% are fishermen.A small minority of them plant vegetables and fruits, open small mini markets, sell rubber and others. There are some who work in the private sector in the towns nearby. Some of them also work with the government either in or out of Lingga.
The road to the village from pekan lingga is good and wide enough to allow one car to move in one direction
If another car is coming in from the opposite direction, one car will eventually have to give way by gingerly pulling to the side of the narrow road to let the other vehicle through.
We were finally approaching the wedding venue.
Once we had arrived, we were greeted by villagers community clad in colorful Malay attires, as were we. Malays really love bright colors for their formal clothing. Weddings that take place in the kampung are extremely communal affairs; chances are if you're a friend of the groom or bride's parents, you will help the family by participating in the wedding operations or in the city we call it wedding planner.
For example, you might be heavily involved with cooking the food to be served to the wedding guests.
A delightful traditional Malay wedding involve nearly everyone in the kampung (village) and is more elaborate.
And of course, if you're expecting three villages of guests to attend your wedding, you have to have a team of dishwashers, ready to take up the task of plate cleaning with speed and efficiency! Here they all are, ready and poised for action.
What's even more interesting is the berjoget (the Malay triditional dance) What indeed is a wedding without music! (karaoke)..It's fun anyway, at this Malay kampung wedding.
Before the Majlis Bersanding they had the 'Majlis Khatam Alquran', read verses of the Holy Quran signifying that they had completed all the Chapters of the AlQuran. This was led by the Village's Ladies Group who also recites the Marhaban the Verses of Arabic Chorus praising god and the prophet.But in the "good old days" (that’s what my grandmother used to say) a delightful traditional Malay wedding involves nearly everyone in the kampung and is more elaborate.For the Malays,there are certain preliminaries or events which must happen before the wedding for example you can hear the melodies beat of the kompang before the wedding couple can sit regally on the special made Malay wedding dais (Pelamin).
I was told that all the villagers were expected to turn up for the wedding! Therefore a lot of food had to be prepared.
The guests are enjoying the local rice and the greatest kampong recipes.
In the kampungs, it's common to see people eat with their hands, and certainly it saves dishwashers time as there are less things to wash! I personally hate washing spoons and forks after I eat.
As you're eating, you'll be presented with a small token of appreciation from the host, usually in the form of a boiled egg wrapped in colorful decorations usually called bunga telor.........
Villagers are more conservative and therefore proceed to sit in segregated areas separated by sexes. Here you see the ladies and children chomping away in their self-designated territory. The men were located on the other side of the turf.
All this talk about small Malay village wedding and we have yet to see Raja Sehari ("king of the day")!.Congratulations !!! to newly wedding couple.Now, the groom is dressed in a fancy yellow baju Melayu with a sampin wrapped around his waist. Tucked in his sampin is a commonly used wedding accessory, a keris (Malay dagger, you know, to make him look all macho). The headgear on groom head is tengkolok which is commonly worn by Malay sultans even today especially for formal ceremonies.The Bride also wearing beautiful yellow look alike dress worn by the Malay Princes.......
I can see that, all the villagers will come together and assist the family to make the whole ceremony a success and enjoyable even though the kampong house have limited space but the cooperation and harmonious of the villagers, how small or big the kenduri kahwin is going to be makes no difference at all. What matters most is everyone comes together to witness the ceremony of the wedding and the beautifully designed Malay wedding dais (Pelamin).Attending this wedding has made me better appreciate and value my Malay roots, so I'm really glad I decided to leave the hustle and bustle of city life for a few days.
